That’s but one among a legion of accomplishments for this animated smash hit, which began in 1987 as a series of short sketches on “The Tracey Ullman Show.” Bringing each character to life was cartoonist Matt Groening, whose previous work included a satirical comic strip called “Life in Hell.” Two years later, Groening—along with producers James L. Brooks and Sam Simon—developed “The Simpsons” as a half-hour sitcom. Television and popular culture alike have never been quite the same since.

To call the series epoch-making in the 1990s would be an understatement, as it was more like a megaton bomb of pop-culture iconography and enduring influence. Striking a deft balance between satire and endearment, the show’s best episodes hold up a mirror to American society that’s too prescient and hilarious to deny. The town of Springfield becomes a stand-in for Everytown, USA, with each of its citizens representing a familiar archetype. At the heart of every story is the Simpson family itself, comprising Bart, Lisa, Maggie, Homer, and Marge, whose unique personalities are delivered with exacting precision.

There’s so much to “The Simpsons'” lore that one could dedicate an entire college course just to the show’s timeless characters and philosophical themes. Oh wait, they did.

Stacker presents the best “Simpsons” episodes of all time. For the list, Stacker surveyed all the episodes’ IMDb user ratings and ranked them accordingly. In the case of a tie, the episode with more user votes was ranked higher.